It wasn't until my first Friday at home that I started to realize that other savings, besides just gas, tolls and wear & tear on my car, are to be had from a shorter work week. Here is what else I came up with:
1. I don't have to take a shower. Savings: Water, Gas, Soap
2. I can wear my after-school-clothes that I've been wearing after work all week. Savings: Water, Laundry soap, Being able to wear my black pants for another six years before they fall apart.
3. I can avoid temptation from the million coffee shops within three blocks of my office and the danged Honor Snack box. Why does a single serving bag of Cheetos ever cost a dollar? Why didn't I think to extort someone like that?
4. I don't have to put on make-up. Do you throw your mascara out every three months? In theory, I get it, but it also seems like a good way to sell more mascara.
5. I don't have to fix my hair. Savings: Electricity, hair product, sanity
6. I can turn off all the lights and other energy using devices that my husband leaves on. I can also sneakily turn down the thermostat. Savings: Breath I would waste on fruitless nagging.
I'm sure there are many other benefits to this new arrangement and I can't wait to find more of them.
______________________
Breakfast: Oatmeal with peaches 13 cents
Snack: Granola Bar 21 cents
Lunch: Chicken Pot Pie 64 cents
Snack: Clementines and Celery with Cream Cheese and Tapenade $1.13
Dinner: Grilled Cheese with Turkey 81 cents
Total: $2.92
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
This Week's Lessons
So what did we learn this week?
1. And, of course, gas prices went down again. As not predicted. Because then I wouldn't have gone on about it in this post.
2. We finished this already. It's delicious!
3. My mom tells me that she used to cut her own hair. With just two mirrors and a scissors. And my dad's help, until he messed up--on purpose.
4. Do not drink and cook and blog. Even with the mistake, the husband is well on his way to eating all this. And he liked how it smelled!
5. What's my line? In case figuring out how to be married isn't difficult enough on its own...
6. I may have paid $7 for popcorn, but at least my drink order isn't pink.
_______________
Breakfast: English Muffin with butter and orange marmalade 28 cents
Second breakfast: tortilla, peanut butter, banana, bacon 67 cents
Snack: granola bar 21 cents
Lunch: miner's casserole 74 cents
Snack: banana muffin 5 cents
Dinner: chicken pot pie and banana muffin 69 cents
Total: $2.64
That's a lot of food. I'm stuffed!
1. And, of course, gas prices went down again. As not predicted. Because then I wouldn't have gone on about it in this post.
2. We finished this already. It's delicious!
3. My mom tells me that she used to cut her own hair. With just two mirrors and a scissors. And my dad's help, until he messed up--on purpose.
4. Do not drink and cook and blog. Even with the mistake, the husband is well on his way to eating all this. And he liked how it smelled!
5. What's my line? In case figuring out how to be married isn't difficult enough on its own...
6. I may have paid $7 for popcorn, but at least my drink order isn't pink.
_______________
Breakfast: English Muffin with butter and orange marmalade 28 cents
Second breakfast: tortilla, peanut butter, banana, bacon 67 cents
Snack: granola bar 21 cents
Lunch: miner's casserole 74 cents
Snack: banana muffin 5 cents
Dinner: chicken pot pie and banana muffin 69 cents
Total: $2.64
That's a lot of food. I'm stuffed!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Waste Not
This week it looks like the forgotten food was 1/2 cooked sweet potato. I meant, I'm sure, to have this for breakfast, cooked with a banana. That didn't happen and so, to the trash it goes. In terms of throwing money away, technically I didn't because the sweet potatoes were free. But if you consider that I ate something else instead of the sweet potato, I did waste a few cents.
Here are my two loss prevention strategies:
1) Making a list. This helps me to remember what is in the fridge, going bad, that needs to be eaten. Keeping stuff in the see-through plastic containers is also a helpful reminder to keep edible things out of the trash or the compost pile.
2) Get up earlier or get ready at night. Any day this week, I could have enjoyed sweet potatoes and bananas for breakfast, I just didn't get out of bed early enough and I didn't plan ahead. Usually getting my breakfast and lunch ready the night before is the best fit for me. That way I don't have to think in the morning, I can just grab it and hit the road.
There were some other "waste not" successes this week. We're getting ready to move at work and Whatever uncovered a bunch of stuff we don't need to move and store. It's good and perfectly usable stuff that would have gone to the trash can. I'm bringing some of it home. I'll either use it here or put it in our next garage sale and hopefully bring in a few cents.
In terms of cash wasting, I'm totally guilty this week.
Exhibit A: I bought coffee at the gas station on Tuesday. My defense: I didn't have time to make it at home and had a 12 hour day of work ahead of me. Verdict: Guilty
Exhibit B: I bought $7 popcorn at the movie theater even though I just ate. Plea: Guilty
Exhibit C: I bought a $1 Reeses from the Honor Snacks on Thursday. It was gross, even. Plea: Stupidity.
And now for a contentious "waste not" failure. Yesterday after the recycling run, the husband decided he needed a fancy coffee drink from McDonald's. This is how he wants all his drinks, fancy and frou-frou. I offered to make him one at home but he said he wanted caramel in it. Note: He ordered a regular mocha--no caramel. It cost $3 and he didn't have any cash on him. So guess who paid. I was resentful but I tried to refrain from pointing out that I've eaten for a whole day for less money. Additionally, I had wasted a little over $9 this week myself. I felt pretty smug when he admitted that it was the worst coffee drink he had in a while. I doubt he's learned his lesson, but I will remind him of this vignette to avoid future $3 coffee drinks.
Sidebar: I think men are more comfortable ordering a pink cocktail with an umbrella or a frothy, foamy, sugary, flavored, milky coffee than they used to be. If I stop at the gas station for a coffee--which is few and far between--, I always have to wait for the man in front of me filling up his cup at the cappuccino machine before I can get the regular swill. The husband's theory is that men have "evolved" over time to the point that they can admit they like to drink things that taste good. He, however, can't understand how I can drink bourbon and enjoy it. I just like it--and I have since I'm a kid.
________________________
Breakfast: oatmeal and peaches free peaches! 13 cents
Snack: granola bar 21 cents
Lunch: I had to do a talky thing for work so lunch was free and so was the husband's! It's like I'm making money--I don't mean by working, that's a "labor of love."
Dinner: Popcorn. Like 15 cents with butter, maybe?
Total: 49 cents
Here are my two loss prevention strategies:
1) Making a list. This helps me to remember what is in the fridge, going bad, that needs to be eaten. Keeping stuff in the see-through plastic containers is also a helpful reminder to keep edible things out of the trash or the compost pile.
2) Get up earlier or get ready at night. Any day this week, I could have enjoyed sweet potatoes and bananas for breakfast, I just didn't get out of bed early enough and I didn't plan ahead. Usually getting my breakfast and lunch ready the night before is the best fit for me. That way I don't have to think in the morning, I can just grab it and hit the road.
There were some other "waste not" successes this week. We're getting ready to move at work and Whatever uncovered a bunch of stuff we don't need to move and store. It's good and perfectly usable stuff that would have gone to the trash can. I'm bringing some of it home. I'll either use it here or put it in our next garage sale and hopefully bring in a few cents.
In terms of cash wasting, I'm totally guilty this week.
Exhibit A: I bought coffee at the gas station on Tuesday. My defense: I didn't have time to make it at home and had a 12 hour day of work ahead of me. Verdict: Guilty
Exhibit B: I bought $7 popcorn at the movie theater even though I just ate. Plea: Guilty
Exhibit C: I bought a $1 Reeses from the Honor Snacks on Thursday. It was gross, even. Plea: Stupidity.
And now for a contentious "waste not" failure. Yesterday after the recycling run, the husband decided he needed a fancy coffee drink from McDonald's. This is how he wants all his drinks, fancy and frou-frou. I offered to make him one at home but he said he wanted caramel in it. Note: He ordered a regular mocha--no caramel. It cost $3 and he didn't have any cash on him. So guess who paid. I was resentful but I tried to refrain from pointing out that I've eaten for a whole day for less money. Additionally, I had wasted a little over $9 this week myself. I felt pretty smug when he admitted that it was the worst coffee drink he had in a while. I doubt he's learned his lesson, but I will remind him of this vignette to avoid future $3 coffee drinks.
Sidebar: I think men are more comfortable ordering a pink cocktail with an umbrella or a frothy, foamy, sugary, flavored, milky coffee than they used to be. If I stop at the gas station for a coffee--which is few and far between--, I always have to wait for the man in front of me filling up his cup at the cappuccino machine before I can get the regular swill. The husband's theory is that men have "evolved" over time to the point that they can admit they like to drink things that taste good. He, however, can't understand how I can drink bourbon and enjoy it. I just like it--and I have since I'm a kid.
________________________
Breakfast: oatmeal and peaches free peaches! 13 cents
Snack: granola bar 21 cents
Lunch: I had to do a talky thing for work so lunch was free and so was the husband's! It's like I'm making money--I don't mean by working, that's a "labor of love."
Dinner: Popcorn. Like 15 cents with butter, maybe?
Total: 49 cents
Friday, November 19, 2010
Role Reversal
For much of my childhood, I lived in a one-income household. My mom rocked as a SAHM. I mean, she kept me in stitches--literally. (Except when she made me stand very still and try on a garment that was still pinned together.)
I had some friends whose moms worked. I was both envious of days spent with other kids at "the babysitter's" and confused as to why that was necessary at all. We weren't wealthy. We lived in a rural area in a small town and we did better than ok. We could afford Great American Roadtrips in a rented RV to see Great American Things every few years. Like many kids, we had more toys than we could play with in a day. Sure, I wore my brother's hand-me-downs and rode a brown boy's bike with a banana seat during my early bike riding years, but I kinda thought everyone did.
I don't know if this was the typical one-person-working-outside-the-home 1980s family life. It may have been a little Walton-y. Mom got up early and fixed breakfast. We all sat at the table together, said our prayers, and ate. We made our Halloween costumes ourselves and went 20 miles to Walmart to pick out a pattern and material for Christmas and Easter dresses. We picked strawberries and green beans and peas and corn and tomatoes and anything else that grew in the backyard garden. In the summer, Saturday morning cartoons were always accompanied by shelling peas or snapping green beans, the rest of the year, we folded laundry with the Smurfs and Snorkels. In the winter, we were sent downstairs to grab a jar of green beans or tomatoes or a pack of corn from the freezer. These came out of our garden in the summer and were put up by Mom and were a thousand times better than cans from the store. We knew how lucky we were when we spooned up hot, golden, sweet "real" corn for dinner. We didn't know that the few cents it saved helped us to have such great present bonanzas at Christmastime. Mom ran the house and Dad worked hard, bringing home the check and handing it over to the coupon clipper and sale shopper.
But times, they are a'changing. I know a lot of stay-at-home men, these days. Most have a woman wage-earner but not all. Our neighbor is a stay-at-home dad. Our friend has been out of work for over a year. My friend's ex and my other friend's boyfriend are both unemployed. And the husband. Likewise, the first rider of my boy's bike was out of work for a few weeks. All are or were out of work for different reason. Nonetheless, it's a scary economy and it seems to have hit the men I know harder than the women.
I'm sure it must be hard for the dudes. The husband has been through bouts of unemployment before but I think having a partner that does get up and go to work every day must make it harder. He's much more interested in what happened at my work. He wants to show me all his accomplishments when I get home. (And they are many and somewhat impressive.)
It is hard not to be jealous of those accomplishments because they are so much more tangible than anything I do at work. It's not that I ever wanted to stay at home, although I admit, I get more satisfaction out of gardening and home chores, big and small, than I do at work. But it is kind of hard to reconcile the role reversal of having a stay-at-home husband, even when I hope this is temporary. There are things I expect him to do and to be, because they are the things that (from experience) I expect from the stay-at-home half.
I expect him to be better at the whole idea of home economics. But he's not the most thrifty person. Like when I sent him to the grocery store Monday morning to pick up some lunch meat for the step-daughter and he returned with the cheap lunch meat and the expensive pre-made muffins and flavored milk. Or when he grabs a sandwich with friends and wants to go to the movies. (Although the popcorn was totally my fault.) He's made great strides at curbing his impulse spending on bigger ticket items, but not in the little ways that add up over time.
Also, he's hopeless in the kitchen. I think he doesn't eat lunch and he has no earthly idea what is in the refrigerator. I don't know if: a) he's actually not hungry, b) he just forgets, c) it doesn't occur to him that there is something he could eat in the refrigerator, or d) he can't figure out what to do when he opens it so he doesn't bother. It's probably e) all of the above. I asked him to flip my grilled cheese sandwich Wednesday and he said, "How am I supposed to do that?" with some incredulous panic in his tone. I said, with equally incredulous disgust, "Good grief!" (Or I might have taken the Lord's name in vain.) He figured it out.
Sometimes, I want to come home from work and follow my dad's lead: eat the dinner that is waiting for me, grab a beer, and settle in for some television. But at the same time, boring, plus I know I can't hang a door or do body work on the old car like the husband does. The things that I want the husband to do are the things that I can bring to the table. And I know I would be a wee bit jealous and would flounder to figure out my role if someone were to take over those jobs.
In the end, what I know is that we have to find our own way in this world as a team. It's not about fitting into an outdated prescription. I want to bring home the bacon and fry it and give the husband the opportunity to find a life's work that is enjoyable and fulfilling. And if I can put a dinner on the table that I grew part of in the garden and used coupons to get the rest; if I can make the husband stand very still while I pin up a hem to sew in his pants; if I can dazzle my step-daughter with my crafty costume making skills; and if I can occasionally sit down with a bourbon and a tv show after a hard day's work, then I know that I've learned a thing or two from both my role models and I've made a way for myself that fits me perfectly--even if it is still held together by pins.
______________________
Breakfast: Waffle with butter and syrup 40 cents
Lunch: 1/2 c taco soup and corn dog 93 cents
Snack: granola bar 27 cents
Dinner: miner's casserole and poor man fancy snacks 75 cents
Total: $2.35
I had some friends whose moms worked. I was both envious of days spent with other kids at "the babysitter's" and confused as to why that was necessary at all. We weren't wealthy. We lived in a rural area in a small town and we did better than ok. We could afford Great American Roadtrips in a rented RV to see Great American Things every few years. Like many kids, we had more toys than we could play with in a day. Sure, I wore my brother's hand-me-downs and rode a brown boy's bike with a banana seat during my early bike riding years, but I kinda thought everyone did.
I don't know if this was the typical one-person-working-outside-the-home 1980s family life. It may have been a little Walton-y. Mom got up early and fixed breakfast. We all sat at the table together, said our prayers, and ate. We made our Halloween costumes ourselves and went 20 miles to Walmart to pick out a pattern and material for Christmas and Easter dresses. We picked strawberries and green beans and peas and corn and tomatoes and anything else that grew in the backyard garden. In the summer, Saturday morning cartoons were always accompanied by shelling peas or snapping green beans, the rest of the year, we folded laundry with the Smurfs and Snorkels. In the winter, we were sent downstairs to grab a jar of green beans or tomatoes or a pack of corn from the freezer. These came out of our garden in the summer and were put up by Mom and were a thousand times better than cans from the store. We knew how lucky we were when we spooned up hot, golden, sweet "real" corn for dinner. We didn't know that the few cents it saved helped us to have such great present bonanzas at Christmastime. Mom ran the house and Dad worked hard, bringing home the check and handing it over to the coupon clipper and sale shopper.
But times, they are a'changing. I know a lot of stay-at-home men, these days. Most have a woman wage-earner but not all. Our neighbor is a stay-at-home dad. Our friend has been out of work for over a year. My friend's ex and my other friend's boyfriend are both unemployed. And the husband. Likewise, the first rider of my boy's bike was out of work for a few weeks. All are or were out of work for different reason. Nonetheless, it's a scary economy and it seems to have hit the men I know harder than the women.
I'm sure it must be hard for the dudes. The husband has been through bouts of unemployment before but I think having a partner that does get up and go to work every day must make it harder. He's much more interested in what happened at my work. He wants to show me all his accomplishments when I get home. (And they are many and somewhat impressive.)
It is hard not to be jealous of those accomplishments because they are so much more tangible than anything I do at work. It's not that I ever wanted to stay at home, although I admit, I get more satisfaction out of gardening and home chores, big and small, than I do at work. But it is kind of hard to reconcile the role reversal of having a stay-at-home husband, even when I hope this is temporary. There are things I expect him to do and to be, because they are the things that (from experience) I expect from the stay-at-home half.
I expect him to be better at the whole idea of home economics. But he's not the most thrifty person. Like when I sent him to the grocery store Monday morning to pick up some lunch meat for the step-daughter and he returned with the cheap lunch meat and the expensive pre-made muffins and flavored milk. Or when he grabs a sandwich with friends and wants to go to the movies. (Although the popcorn was totally my fault.) He's made great strides at curbing his impulse spending on bigger ticket items, but not in the little ways that add up over time.
Also, he's hopeless in the kitchen. I think he doesn't eat lunch and he has no earthly idea what is in the refrigerator. I don't know if: a) he's actually not hungry, b) he just forgets, c) it doesn't occur to him that there is something he could eat in the refrigerator, or d) he can't figure out what to do when he opens it so he doesn't bother. It's probably e) all of the above. I asked him to flip my grilled cheese sandwich Wednesday and he said, "How am I supposed to do that?" with some incredulous panic in his tone. I said, with equally incredulous disgust, "Good grief!" (Or I might have taken the Lord's name in vain.) He figured it out.
Sometimes, I want to come home from work and follow my dad's lead: eat the dinner that is waiting for me, grab a beer, and settle in for some television. But at the same time, boring, plus I know I can't hang a door or do body work on the old car like the husband does. The things that I want the husband to do are the things that I can bring to the table. And I know I would be a wee bit jealous and would flounder to figure out my role if someone were to take over those jobs.
In the end, what I know is that we have to find our own way in this world as a team. It's not about fitting into an outdated prescription. I want to bring home the bacon and fry it and give the husband the opportunity to find a life's work that is enjoyable and fulfilling. And if I can put a dinner on the table that I grew part of in the garden and used coupons to get the rest; if I can make the husband stand very still while I pin up a hem to sew in his pants; if I can dazzle my step-daughter with my crafty costume making skills; and if I can occasionally sit down with a bourbon and a tv show after a hard day's work, then I know that I've learned a thing or two from both my role models and I've made a way for myself that fits me perfectly--even if it is still held together by pins.
______________________
Breakfast: Waffle with butter and syrup 40 cents
Lunch: 1/2 c taco soup and corn dog 93 cents
Snack: granola bar 27 cents
Dinner: miner's casserole and poor man fancy snacks 75 cents
Total: $2.35
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Unfortunately Titled Miner's Casserole
I was having a conversation with Whatever today about the standards are for cheap food. Generally I want something that is made of real stuff, but I'm not above Kraft cheese slices melted into a pot of macaroni. This is what my step-daughter thinks of as "good" macaroni and cheese. Poor thing. So this casserole--and the substitutions I made to the original recipe--is a good example of what you could call my "standards."
I found this recipe from one of the best places to scout cheap recipes--the family cookbook. Well, if you're in my family, that is. My mom made a cookbook for the family reunion one year. It was actually a year-long process that involved gathering recipes and designing the book and having it printed and bound in the pre-FedEx/Kinkos days. It was printed on our dot matrix printer if that tells you anything about the age of this thing.
Isn't Miner's Casserole the worst name ever? It was submitted to the cookbook by Barber Larry. They (yes, it's a couple and that is my nickname for them) are friends of my parents and since this was in the family cookbook, they are also distantly related. I have no idea what inspires the name of this dish. Maybe because it's a gold color? Maybe I don't want to know?
Sidebar: The first time the husband went to my parents' church with me, he left thinking I was related to every church member. This is not the case, but I can see how he made the mistake.
I've made this once before, shortly after the cookbook came out. I used all the "proper" ingredients at the time. It probably took years off the lives of everyone who ate it. But man, it was tasty.
Sidebar: I just noticed that I left the casserole sitting in the oven with the timer running for 55 minutes. Too bad I forgot to turn the oven on. Dinner is delayed for an hour. Effffff!
Miner's Casserole
24 oz cottage cheese $1.88
1/2 lb Velveeta Ok, I love sticky, spongy, glowing orange bricks as much as the next person but I used shredded cheddar, about 2 cups $1.25
1/4 c margarine, cut in crumbs Here I used butter. We shy away from margarine in our house. But no judgment. 28 cents
6 beaten eggs 42 cents
6 tablespoons flour 3 cents
10 oz package chopped frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, and pulled apart 99 cents
1/4 lb Italian Sausage I added this to make it seem a little more hefty. It gives it a little something extra 75 cents
Mix everything up. Put it in a greased 9x13. Bake one hour. Cool five minutes. Cut into squares.
Confession: I forgot until right now to add the flour. Dang you, bourbon!
Total: $5.60
I cut it into 15 squares so 37 cents for a square.
___________________
Breakfast: Oatmeal with blueberries and some powdered milk I have a bunch of powdered milk in the freezer for bread recipes so I'm starting to use it when I cook. The blueberries were free. 14 cents
Snack: Banana 11 cents
Lunch: Taco Soup 86 cents
Snack: Pretzel twist (free!) and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups From the Honor Snack box. Sometimes it is impossible to resist. But it is highway robbery at $1 per snack.
Dinner: Miner's casserole x2 that's what happens when you wait an extra hour to eat 74 cents
Total: $2.71
I found this recipe from one of the best places to scout cheap recipes--the family cookbook. Well, if you're in my family, that is. My mom made a cookbook for the family reunion one year. It was actually a year-long process that involved gathering recipes and designing the book and having it printed and bound in the pre-FedEx/Kinkos days. It was printed on our dot matrix printer if that tells you anything about the age of this thing.
Isn't Miner's Casserole the worst name ever? It was submitted to the cookbook by Barber Larry. They (yes, it's a couple and that is my nickname for them) are friends of my parents and since this was in the family cookbook, they are also distantly related. I have no idea what inspires the name of this dish. Maybe because it's a gold color? Maybe I don't want to know?
Sidebar: The first time the husband went to my parents' church with me, he left thinking I was related to every church member. This is not the case, but I can see how he made the mistake.
I've made this once before, shortly after the cookbook came out. I used all the "proper" ingredients at the time. It probably took years off the lives of everyone who ate it. But man, it was tasty.
Sidebar: I just noticed that I left the casserole sitting in the oven with the timer running for 55 minutes. Too bad I forgot to turn the oven on. Dinner is delayed for an hour. Effffff!
Miner's Casserole
24 oz cottage cheese $1.88
1/2 lb Velveeta Ok, I love sticky, spongy, glowing orange bricks as much as the next person but I used shredded cheddar, about 2 cups $1.25
1/4 c margarine, cut in crumbs Here I used butter. We shy away from margarine in our house. But no judgment. 28 cents
6 beaten eggs 42 cents
6 tablespoons flour 3 cents
10 oz package chopped frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, and pulled apart 99 cents
1/4 lb Italian Sausage I added this to make it seem a little more hefty. It gives it a little something extra 75 cents
Mix everything up. Put it in a greased 9x13. Bake one hour. Cool five minutes. Cut into squares.
Confession: I forgot until right now to add the flour. Dang you, bourbon!
Total: $5.60
I cut it into 15 squares so 37 cents for a square.
___________________
Breakfast: Oatmeal with blueberries and some powdered milk I have a bunch of powdered milk in the freezer for bread recipes so I'm starting to use it when I cook. The blueberries were free. 14 cents
Snack: Banana 11 cents
Lunch: Taco Soup 86 cents
Snack: Pretzel twist (free!) and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups From the Honor Snack box. Sometimes it is impossible to resist. But it is highway robbery at $1 per snack.
Dinner: Miner's casserole x2 that's what happens when you wait an extra hour to eat 74 cents
Total: $2.71
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